Healing His Ailing Heart

Chapter 2

Cassandra Blade looked out the window of the Uber car. Blue Falls looked so different, but it was a good kind of different. It was like every single portion of land was intentionally and carefully attended to. She had just come in from Washington DC to Blue Falls, her home land. And now everywhere looked so happy, colorful and lush. There were new structures too.

"I see you too have quickly fallen in love with our Blue Falls." The chauffeur looked at her through the rearview mirror.

"It's so beautiful." Cassandra gushed.

"Very true, Milady." The elderly chauffeur said. "We would be pulling into The Golden Inn now." The chauffeur said to her as he kept his eyes on the road. True to his word, they pulled into the driveway of a building that held the sign "The Golden Inn". Cassandra had secured a space for herself here through the inn's website.

When the car came to a stop, Cassandra stepped out. The surroundings that welcomed her were indeed welcoming. Cassandra moved to the garden and ran her fingers through the soft flowery bushes. She moaned at the nice feel of plants between her hands. And they all smelled nice. As she crouched to sniff them, a bell chimed and the front door opened. An elderly woman in flowery green dress came out to greet them. Cassandra straightened up and went to meet her.

The lady beamed a smile at her, "Welcome to the Golden Inn. I am truly delighted to have you here. She extended a hand to Cassandra which she took and returned the greeting. The chauffeur took Cassandra's bags inside, to the reception.

Cassandra paused and looked at the woman again. I definitely know this woman. "Aunt Marianne?" The name escaped her lips before she was even certain.

The woman faced her and narrowed her eyes at Cassandra, trying to recognize her. After a moment, the lady gave up. "I'm sorry, dear. I am indeed Aunt Marianne, but I am not sure I remember you too. But you remind me of a late friend."

"Of course! 'Cause I'm her kid. Lydia's daughter." Cassandra said, almost leaping for joy.

Aunt Marianne paused, "What? Don't tell me…" Realization dawned on her. "Baby Cassie!"

"I'm a grown woman now." Cassandra giggled as they came together in embrace. 'Baby Cassie' was what she was called while she grew up here in Blue Falls.

"Oh look at you, Baby Cassie. I can't believe this." Aunt Marianne pulled back to look at her more carefully. "You look a lot like your mother, Lydia. Oh Baby Cassie."

Cassandra laughed, "Aunt Marie, it's just 'Cassie' now. I'm older now."

Aunt Marianne rolled her eyes, "But you're still Baby Cassie to me. Oh sweetheart, how long has it been since you left?"

"Ten years." Cassandra was kind of proud of the long time she stated.

"Now that's a lot of time." Aunt Marianne linked their arms and led her inside the inn. "But why aren't you going to the pack house? You know your brother's the Beta of our pack, right?" Aunt Marianne didn't even let her respond. "Ooh! You want to surprise him and Aunt Rosie. They would be so delighted."

Cassandra finally spoke, "Yeah, I missed them so I thought I'd give Caleb a little birthday surprise."

"Oh lovely." Aunt Marianne led her to the receptionist's booth. Cassandra loved the interior look of the place. "That would just be the icing on the cake for Beta Caleb. You know the Alpha's celebrating his birthday with a grand dinner tomorrow. Everyone's excited. Beta Caleb grew to be a great man, really."

"There is a dinner party tomorrow?" Cassandra mentally searched through the things she had packed. "I did not bring an appropriate dress for something like that." Cassandra always loved to show up lovely for occasions.

"Oh that's no issue, Baby Cassie. Two buildings from here is a grand boutique. You will find a good dress there. They do fittings too." Aunt Marianne assured her. Aunt Marianne let her be attended to by the receptionist before they continued talking.

It was so lovely to meet Aunt Marianne. Cassandra learned that Aunt Marianne and her husband, Uncle Joseph owned the inn. Their children had also grown well; Bea and George. They had both been infants when Cassandra left Blue Falls. Now, her meeting with Aunt Marianne only made her more eager to see her family and other friends she had left behind.

"Aunt Marianne, please is there somewhere I could get cake supplies?" Cassandra wanted to make a birthday cake for her brother.

"Oh sure, Baby Cassie. That would also be two buildings from here, but this time in the left direction." Aunt Marianne laughed as she used her hands to gesticulate.

Cassandra figured she would get settled in before she went out to purchase the things she needed. When she finished with the receptionist, she greeted and thanked Aunt Marianne. Then she went into the elevator with her bags. When the elevator doors closed, her phone began to vibrate in her pocket. Cassandra pulled it out and checked the Caller ID. It was Aunt Rosie. Aunt Rosie was the younger sister of her mother who had raised them when she and her brother became orphans.

Cassandra swiped right and placed the phone to her ear. "Aunt Rosie, how are you?"

"I'm good, honey." Said the elderly woman on the end of the line. "How's work?"

Cassandra worked as a food researcher and analyst with one of the pristine food processing companies in the country. "Work's good."

"Tomorrow's your brother's birthday. He is finally twenty-five." Aunt Rosie laughed on the other end. "You remember when he was younger, he used to say this age was the bestest. Now it is finally here."

Cassandra laughed. She remembered it too. She had been looking forward to her sweet sixteen, but her brother only looked forward to his 25th birthday. "So what is he doing for it?"

"I don't know. I just know there is a dinner party tomorrow. I really would have loved for you to come home for this, Cassie." Aunt Rosie replied.

Cassandra smiled to herself when she heard that. She had not informed them about her coming.

"Well, Aunt Rosie, we are in the middle of a important project."

"Whatever." Aunt Rosie said.

Cassandra was sure Aunt Rosie had rolled her eyes.

"Just know we miss you badly."

Cassandra replied to her, "Same here. I really miss you both." The elevator stopped moving and opened. "I have to go now, Aunt Rosie." Soon they finished off the call.

When Cassandra was settled in her room, she plopped down on the bed. This was Blue Falls where she had grown until she was thirteen and her brother was fifteen. She could still remember that sad day like it was yesterday.

There had been a war. Rogues had attacked their pack. Alpha Richard and his Beta, Beta Simone, her father had led out the warriors to fight and protect Blue Falls. The children had been hidden away in a safe house. But her brother was not kept with the rest of them. He had been taken along to fight because he had great martial aptitude for his age. But that had still been unfair, in Cassandra's point of view. Caleb, her brother had not got his wolf at that time, yet he was taken along to fight a bunch of barbaric werewolves.

Her mother, Lydia had tried to protest against it. But no one heeded her. Even her father hid his disapproval for the Alpha's command and let them take Caleb along. What made it more annoying was that Christian, the Alpha's son, who was eighteen already and had got his wolf was kept behind with other children. Young Cassandra had been angry but could speak to no one since her parents had ceded.

Her mother had been the one guarding the children safehouse when two rogues came. Her mother had fought valiantly to protect them. But in the end it was traumatizing to watch through the window her mother been torn apart by rogues. That's when Aunt Rosie and Aunt Marianne got there and brutally destroyed the rogues. But her mother had been fatally injured such that her wolf was too weak to heal her. After some time, her mother gave up her ghost.

Soon, peace returned and the war ended. Cassandra watched out for her father and brother to return. Caleb had been brought in with other terribly injured warriors. Cassandra had cried at her brother's side. She had been grateful that she did not lose him, though he was barely alive. Another warrior had told her that Caleb had got his wolf, Jax, on the battle ground. He had even shifted a couple of times as they had fought. She had been proud of her brother. But now his body was healing slowly. She had not broken the news of their mother's death to him yet. She had been waiting for their father to return.

Gamma Phillip had come in then, supporting Alpha Richard who had been terribly injured. The last batch of warriors came in following them. Cassandra had looked for her father among them but had not seen him. She asked about him. The Alpha and the Beta had been surrounded in the heat of the war. The warriors fought hard to deliver the Alpha and they started returning. Cassandra still remembered the Gamma's reply to her. "We hoped the Beta would catch up to us but he didn't and we had to leave. The Alpha's the priority."

Even now, tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered that response. Her father had been abandoned because he was not the Alpha. That was what their actions literally meant to her. It made her believe that compared to the Alpha and his family, the members of the pack were dispensable. She came to loathe the whole pack system. She grew terribly bitter.

Young Cassandra was even more heartbroken when Alpha Richard healed and continued living like nothing had happened. He threw parties anyhow while Cassandra was hurting from the loss of her parents and her brother's slow recuperation was scaring her a lot. Aunt Rosie, who had taken them in, noticed Cassandra's emotional turmoil and sent her to a boarding school faraway. Aunt Rosie felt that if Cassandra spent some time away from it all, she would be able to heal.

But once Cassandra stepped out, she swore to never return. Her anger against the whole system became a hard ice of resentment. Such that even when she got her wolf, Laila, she kept struggling to keep it down. She never shifted. She worked hard to shut it out until finally Laila gave up on her and fell into dormancy within her. So Cassandra lived like she was a pure human without any werewolf life.

Whenever Caleb or Aunt Rosie asked her to come home, she always had an excuse. They ended up being the ones coming to visit her. But now she was here to surprise them after ten years. Ten years. That's a long time.

In that time, she had got a name for herself as a food science prodigy. She was doing very well for a youth of twenty three. Apart from that, she was dating the best man she had ever met, Johann Strong. He was the CEO of the food processing company she worked at. Johann was also the heir to Strong Group of Companies. But that was not what she loved about him. It was how he loved her that blew her mind. He was so kind and gentle with her.

Cassandra took her phone and found a text from him.

[J: Have you reached the inn?]

Cassandra quickly replied to his text.

[C: Hey babe. I settled in already.]

After a few beats, her phone beeped with his reply like he'd been waiting for her to message him.

[J: Alright love. Extend my regards to your family. I'm headed to a meeting now. xxoxx.]

Cassandra blushed at the text. She was living life as she wanted. Had a family that genuinely cared about her. Dating an amazing guy who doted on her. Had great friends she could count on. Earning a steady six figure salary. What more could she want? Her life was enjoying a smooth sail. She hoped she wouldn't encounter anything that would rock her boat.